CtrlAltDELETE
by phillydragonldy
Summary: Missing scene in S3's episode Delete—What happened after Clark dropped Chloe off at Lex's mansion when everyone was trying to kill her. Created for the svsunkenships event Feb 2016. Username of the requester: kitmerlot1213


**Username of the requester:** **kitmerlot1213**  
 **The prompt:** Missing scene in S3's episode Delete—What happened after Clark dropped Chloe off at Lex's mansion when everyone was trying to kill her.  
Created for the **svsunkenships** event Feb 2016.

* * *

 _Clark: Thanks for letting Chloe stay here, Lex.  
_

 _Lex: Whatever I can do to help. Chloe... I have my tech guys trying to track Molly. Make yourself at home._

* * *

Chloe was feeling very fidgety. She'd been in the Luthor mansion unattended for almost two whole hours and hadn't left her own suite of rooms.

Lex's housekeeper brought her into the guest room that was nearly the size of her entire house and inquired politely if Chloe needed anything. When Chloe had declined, the woman had disappeared, leaving Chloe alone.

In the Luthor mansion. For over two whole hours.

She was sure she was wearing holes in Lex's expensive carpet.

Her eyes rolled over to her open and waiting laptop open on the desk of the room. She had a document open and the cursor blinked at her in silent reproach, reminding Chloe that she really should be writing down more of what they had discovered about Summerholt Neurological Institute, Molly Griggs, and her email mind control.

And she had written some things. At least a few.

Ok, fine. Three sentences.

She tried to tell herself she was just antsy from fear after all the almost-deaths over the past twenty-four hours. It certainly didn't help ease her mind any that the intended killers had been some of her closest friends. That was the reason she was here, after all. No one would expect her to be hiding in the home of the man who fired her father from the job he'd held for over a decade.

But if she was honest with herself, that wasn't really what had her so restless. It was because of her burning desire to dig through every square inch of Lex's mansion.

Two hours. Alone in the Luthor fortress and she hadn't snooped through anything except the medicine cabinet full of expensive toiletries in her own private bathroom.  
It was unbearable.

After all, when would she get so much time to explore the Luthor stronghold again? She expected to be here at least _one entire night!_ That meant _hours_ of top-quality sleuthing time!

NO!

With an audible sigh she returned to her keyboard. She reminded herself (again) that Lex had been very gracious in letting her stay here, and until the email assassin was caught, she couldn't risk being thrown out on her ear. She doubted his offhand comment to make herself at home included her picking the locks to every door she found.

But imagine the secrets she might uncover if she just took a little time -

 _What is Lex really doing in Smallville?  
_

 _Did he remember anything they had discussed before he was sent away for shock treatment?  
_

 _Was he after Clark's secret too?  
_

 _Did Lex Luthor wear boxers or briefs?_

With a growl, she went back to pacing the carpet and reminded herself that guests do NOT normally look for hidden safes and doors behind every multi-million dollar painting adorning the walls.

Though there weren't any hidden secrets behind the ones in her room. She'd checked.

Ok, so maybe she had gone through her rooms in slightly more detail than just picking over the toiletries.

The shrill ring of a phone in the quiet of the room startled Chloe so much she let out a small shriek.

Looking around the room she spotted an antique-style telephone on the desk. Unsure who would be calling her here, she picked up the receiver with no little trepidation.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hello, Miss Sullivan. This is Mrs Jenkins, the housekeeper. I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be served in the dining room in fifteen minutes if you are hungry."

"Oh, umm, thank you."

"Would you like someone to come and show you the way?"

"Umm, no, that's ok. I can find it."

"Very good, dear. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance."

"Thank you."

Chloe placed the receiver back in the cradle just as her stomach gave a loud growl, reminding her that though the rest of her may have been too distracted to think about food, it was empty and wanted filling.

With a smile at herself, Chloe grabbed her jacket from the back of a chair and went off to seek the Luthor dining room.

* * *

When Chloe finally found the dining room, she couldn't hide the smile of pure delight at the scene before her. The room was huge, tastefully decorated, and fit the town of Smallville about as well as Dior on a cow.

Though Chloe's smile faltered slightly when she spotted the single person sitting at the far end of the massive table. Suddenly the room took on a new aspect. With Lex in it the room seemed...right. As if his singular presence were enough to fill the cavernous space and make it seem as if Smallville was out of place - not his castle.

"Hello, Chloe," he greeted her, with his closed-lip half-smile. "I hope your stay so far has been pleasant?"

She moved into the room towards him. "Well, so far no one has tried to kill me so that makes it several jots above the rest of the last 24-hours." She looked around the table quizzically, wondering where she was expected to sit. Finally spotted the setting at the far end of the table from him. She glanced back and forth in confusion at the 10 feet of space between the settings. How the hell were they supposed to talk like that? Without a word, Chloe moved to the open place setting and after reviewing the extensive collection of dishes, silverware, and glasses before her, she carefully picked up the largest plate, one of each utensil, a napkin, and a glass. She made her way down the length of the table to the seat on Lex's right. Placing her pilfered setting down, she shot him a look to see if he was making a move towards pulling out the chair. He wasn't, so she pointedly ignored his raised eyebrow and the amusement sparkling in his eyes as she pulled out the chair and sat down. She laid her napkin across her lap as a show of modesty before turning to Lex with a broad innocent smile.

"So what's for dinner, Lex?"

* * *

The food was amazing, and while Chloe always prided herself on a hearty appetite she couldn't eat more than half of what was put in front of her. For the first few plates the staff brought out, she had asked what it was, but when she quickly realized she could neither interpret nor repeat the names properly, she gave up and just enjoyed the flavors.

Lex proved to be a surprisingly amiable dinner companion. The reserve he had shown since leaving the mental institution seemed to melt away as they talked and ate. He was a very attentive listener when she told him about some of the stories from her Wall of Weird and he opened up enough to tell her about some of the places where he had traveled.

She looked at him as he smiled and twirled a glass of wine in his hand. He looked relaxed and completely at ease. She couldn't recall ever seeing him that way before. She found she rather liked it and looking around the huge, empty room a thought occurred to her. "Is this normal for you, Lex?"

His eyes, which a moment before had been warm and soft suddenly sharpened. "Is what normal for me, Chloe?"

She waved airily at the scene around them. "Eating all alone at this massive table with enough food for twenty?"

A hint of mockery flickered in his eyes as he looked at her pointedly. 'I'm not alone, Chloe."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean."

He was quiet for so long that Chloe didn't think he would answer. "My father sometimes joins me." Lex nodded at seat that had originally been set for her. "He prefers to sit there though, so conversation can be...somewhat limited."

Chloe looked at him quizzically. "Is that why you had that place set? So we couldn't talk?"

Lex's smile turned self-recriminating. "I thought you would prefer it that way, after I had to fire your father."

Chloe's eyes turned stormy. "I know who is really to blame for that, though I am surprised you let yourself be used as a puppet. It was Lionel. It pretty much always is lately."

Lex's blue eyes were now just as stormy as hers. "Is that so?"

Chloe met his look without flinching. "Yes."

He took a slow sip of his wine while still holding her gaze. "So that is why you thought the email-assassin came from him as well."

"After having both me and my father fired, having you committed, and even taking back the computers he donated to The Torch, I wouldn't put a little-attempted murder out of his wheelhouse."

"So how do you explain me protecting you here right now?"

She smiled slightly. "You aren't him."

The reaction was very slight, but telling. Lex went very still for a moment, then relaxed. "Thank you for that, Chloe."

* * *

After dinner, Chloe returned to her guestroom, and once again found herself sitting, staring at her computer screen. Though she still desperately wanted to snoop through the mansion, her mind was now busy with thoughts of the unusual dinner she'd enjoyed with Lex.

Before his trip to the institution, she had seen him as an ally against his father, though ever since he'd come back he had clearly planted himself in Lionel's camp.

But tonight she'd seen his dissatisfaction, though he'd tried to mask it. She wondered at the source. Could he suspect that Lionel was behind his mind-wipe?

Was he in danger for knowing that?

She didn't know what to think.

Eventually, she gave up on questions that had no answer and crawled into the enormous soft-as-a-cloud bed.

She had expected she would be staring at the underside of the canopy bed for hours, but she was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Chloe snapped awake at the sound of a creaking board outside the bedroom door. A quick glance at the bedside clock told her it was nearly midnight.

Soundlessly she slid out of the bed, and grabbed a heavy silver candlestick off of one of the end-tables. She crept across the plush carpet and hid behind the bedroom door. A knock came at the door then and she heard Lex's voice through the thick wood.

"Chloe? Are you awake? I've heard back from my security man."

At those words, Chloe whipped open the bedroom door to face a surprised Lex.

"You did? What did they say about finding Molly?"

Lex put his hands up in a "I surrender" gesture, his eyes resting on something over her shoulder. "I'd be happy to tell you. There is no need to beat it out of me."

"What?" Chloe asked, confused, before she realized she still had the candlestick raised like a club. She quickly lowered her arm. "Sorry about that. Thought you might be here to kill me."

His eyes twinkled. "Not today." He took in her appearance. "Cute pj's. Leave it to you to own journalistic teddy bears."

Chloe ignored the comment and forced herself not to cover up the patterned teddies with their reading glasses and notepads. "I still have a candlestick and I'm not afraid to use it, Lex. What did your security guys find out?"

He smirked at her challenge, but answered. "She is holed up in a Metropolis apartment. I'm on my way there. Would you like to come?"

"Yes! I -" A loud beeping sounded from her cell phone. "Hold on a moment," she said going across the room to check it. "It's from Mrs. Kent. She says that Clark is in trouble and needs help." Her eyes were scared when she looked at Lex again.

"I'll go after Molly. You take care of Clark. Let me know if you need anything."

She let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Lex."

* * *

It turned out that Molly Griggs had got off one last message to the Kents before Lex was able to stop her and Clark saved her instead of the other way around. When Lex got back to the Kent farm he found a battered Mr and Mrs Kent and a slightly worse-for-wear Chloe sitting in the kitchen.

Clark was tending to his parents, but Chloe was alone, trying to dab the blood from a cut on her head. When Lex spotted the bleeding Chloe, he took the cloth from her and started cleaning the cut much more efficiently.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I should have realized this could be a trap, but I didn't immediately flash upon digital hacking and the Kents until too late."

Chloe smiled, then winced when it pulled at her cut. "It's alright, Lex. I didn't make the connection either."

Lex smiled wryly. "And they did use the perfect bait."

"Clark in trouble? Yeah...that one is pretty easy."

"Yes, it is." With a final swipe, he tossed the bloody cloth into a bucket nearby. "Well, I think you'll live. Can I offer you a ride home, at least?"

"Yeah, that would be appreciated."

* * *

It was only a matter of a few minutes to go from the Kent farm to Chloe's house. When he pulled up, Lex said, "Here we are, all safe and sound."

Chloe smiled wryly, waving a hand at her wounded head. "More or less."

Lex's smile faded. "I am sorry about that Chloe. I feel like I failed in my guardianship."

Chloe shook her head then winced at the movement. "No, Lex, it's alright. It's nothing." She leaned in a little closer and told him in a conspiratorial whisper. "It I ever need someone to guard my life again, I'll keep you in mind." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Chloe was surprised to find she was perfectly sincere beneath the teasing.

Lex smiled in reply and she saw the expression light his eyes. "Thank you, Chloe."

\- THE END (sort of...) -


End file.
